Age and/or Greatness Do Not Necessarily Make You Wise
Job 32:7-9, "I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment."
At this point in the narrative of Job we are introduced to a younger man whose name is Elihu. He states in verse 6, "...I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion." He did what we have heard we should do on many occasions; he respected his elders. And of course, we should respect those who are our elder.
I have encountered many people over the years who were aged and yet they did not possess wisdom. The reason: age and even greatness do not necessarily make you wise. Wisdom doesn't originate with man but with God. It doesn't come with age or greatness, but God. There is an acknowledgment and a disclaimer in verse eight and nine. The acknowledgement; is that God infuses wisdom into the spirit of man "...there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. The disclaimer: "Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment." Barnes in his Notes on the Bible states, "Though wisdom may in general be looked for in great men, yet it is not universally true. Great men here denotes those who are distinguished for rank, age, authority."
May we remember two things. "...the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25) And, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
Enjoy your day as you rejoice in the Lord.
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1. What do you do to add wisdom to your life?
2. Who is the wisest person you know? Why do you feel that way?
3. What should you do if you lack wisdom?